Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts
by viola strings
Summary: Upset that mortals doubt her power, the goddess Aphrodite decides to play a trick on the modern nation Greece. Too bad she hits the visiting nation of Japan instead...Greece/Japan


A/N- This was the fic I did over at the Greece/Japan community's Summer fic challenge. The prompt was: _Upset that mortals doubt her power, the goddess Aphrodite decides to play a trick on the modern nation Greece. Too bad she hits the visiting nation of Japan instead... _It's been a while but I do want to finish it. So enjoy!

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Greece looked outside. There was a storm passing through and he was beginning to think that it was the reason his guest was late. This still caused the normally mellow country to worry even though he was trying to tell himself there was no reason to. _He's fine…I'm sure his flight just got delayed._ The storm picked up. The various cats that had found their way into his home began to meow and several ran to the nation for comfort. Greece petted the animals within his range and sighed. Finally he decided to try to get a hold of him. And just as he was about to try calling the other's cell phone, he heard a knock on the door. He nearly jumped in surprise but he was abnormally excited as he was sure it was him.

However, his face fell when he opened to door to reveal not who he was waiting for, but instead a young woman. She was soaking wet and frantic. Her face was slightly obscured by a hood from her rain coat.

"Excuse me sir….my car just broke down and I don't have my phone on me. Could I please come in?" Greece normally wouldn't hesitate over such a thing; however, something was off something he couldn't even pinpoint. But regardless, he led her through the front door. As she stepped through the door, cats scurried away.

"Sure. Are you from around here?" He tried to get a good look at her face with no luck.

"You could say I've been here for a while. Do you mind if I use your phone?" She said with a laugh. Greece was really getting suspicious of the woman and was beginning to believe her story less and less. Despite that, he went ahead and walked into another room to grab a phone.

"Yeah, no problem Miss. So you say you've lived here awhile?" He asked, speaking up so she could still hear him around the corner. "It's just that I can't recall seeing you around and I've lived here my whole life."

"Maybe you just don't remember me. I'm told I'm not very memorable," she said. He tried his best to read her voice and couldn't. _ I think I know…if only I could see her face…_

But as Greece returned to where she was, the phone dropped from his hand as his back was slammed against the wall. He couldn't move, finally coming face to face with his visitor. "I honestly can't believe you would fall for this Greece. You seem off your game today." Her coat was off revealing long flowing hair and an incomparably beautiful face. Greece frowned.

"Aphrodite. It's been a while." Greece tried to move away but was unable to; the goddess of love's grasp too strong even for him. She smirked and ran a hand across his chin.

"Yes it has. However you've never let me pin you down like this before. Either you are distracted or maybe you are falling for me finally." Greece rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. Still not really interested. Are you here for a reason besides flirting with me?" The nation's expression hardly changed. He was more annoyed at this point than anything.

"Please. I don't flirt. I don't need to, although you have always been a tough egg to crack. And as much fun as that sounds, I do have a business proposal for you. " She stepped back releasing the country from her grip.

"Alright, but I'd appreciate if you'd make it quick. I have company coming over." He was still waiting for the visitor, who was more important to him than the petty goddess at the moment. However being as he'd had many run-ins with the gods before, he knew better than to ignore them.

"Aw! Just like you. Always so serious and to the point, but that's all right. I'll make it quick so I don't get in the way of your_ special_ visitor. "Greece sighed. He saw that one coming a mile away. "Anyways…I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor? Of what kind?" Greece was worried. Gods asking for favors was always trouble.

"You know that us gods have limited powers in these days. People across the globe believe we are nothing more than legend and take no heed of us. We…are growing more and more obsolete by the day. But you…you nations are different. Not human but not quite immortal. Your influence on the people is amazing. And that's what I want."

"What?"

"I want to work with you. Side by side. Using love and the nations, the world would be a different place. More peaceful, more caring, and overall a better place. I know that there is a large meeting of you nations here in Athens tomorrow and I want you to propose the plan as…most of them probably couldn't see me anyways. But you, we, could change that and the gods would look upon you as a hero."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. You heard me. I don't trust you and whatever this plan of yours is cannot be in everyone's best interest." The goddess stood up in her fury glaring down at the country that hadn't budge.

"You dare reject me! Don't you know what I am capable of? Do you not understand…"

"Yes I do. Quite well actually, but feel free to curse me or punish me some way. I will not allow you to use me to forward your crazy plan. It won't happen no matter what you do to me." Greece still hadn't moved. This had not been the first time he'd made a god angry, or probably the last. He was quite ready for anything she could throw at him. His calm demeanor was infuriating her more and more. So she held out her hand to perform a spell. Greece rolled his eyes preparing for the worst.

"_I shall take your heart and turn it against you, precious ties turned into harmful bonds. May those here who doubt my power, be left with this curse. May the nations of the world be witness to my strength. And only when you know of the truth of my power will you be set free."_

With one last glare and a growl, the goddess disappeared in an instant. Greece didn't even move. He was pretty confused as to what the spell had even meant. Most importantly, he didn't feel like he was cursed. Being as he had been cursed before, he usually could feel it the instant it happened. Either she cast it wrong, or it was so powerful a spell that he couldn't remotely sense it. Either way, he was glad she was finally gone. Then right when he was about to sit back down came another knock on the door. _Is it her again? Please tell me it's over…_

The brown haired nation cautiously opened the door hoping it wasn't someone else trying to curse him. His eyes tightly shut until he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello Greece-san. I am very sorry that I am so late. I was delayed by the storm and…" Before for he could barely get in the door, Greece wrapped his arms around the Asian nation. "G-Greece-san! I-I just got here! " He blushed as Greece pulled away.

"Sorry. I had a bad night. " Greece rubbed the back of his head, startled for a moment as he felt the vestiges of magic in the air around him. Great, there was a spell at work.

"O-oh. I see. Are you all right?"

Shaking concerns of angry goddesses out of his mind, he smiled at Japan. "Don't worry about it. Come in. With you here, I'm sure the night can only improve."

And as Japan smiled back, Aphrodite watched over them from Mount Olympus with a triumphant smile on her lips. The spell had taken hold perfectly.


End file.
